blue cheese burger

god, i love burgers.  any size, shape or type.  beef, bison, or turkey.  with or without a bun.  plain or jazzed up.  i can eat a burger for breakfast - and have...many times.  i was actually on vacation not long ago and asked if the chef could whip me up a burger with fries.  and he did.  i don't even think it was 9:00 am.  i much prefer real food as opposed to breakfast food.  don't even get me started on brunch.  makes no sense to me.  who wants eggs and waffles at 11:00?  not me.  so, back to this burger.  i have found the way to make an incredibly juicy burger is to add grated onion and a bit of cream to the meat mixture.  i usually add fat free milk and have found that it's just as good.  something about the juice of the grated onion and the milk just help in creating a very juicy, moist burger.  i love blue cheese - but don't often get it on my burger.  i find it is generally too strong of a flavor and can mask the taste of the beef.  but, i had it in my fridge and made one heck of a burger with it.  i grilled some onion and sauteed spinach with garlic.  toasted some buns and topped the burger the last minute of cooking with blue cheese.  (my mouth is watering).  as a matter of fact, i think i am gong to have a burger for dinner tonight.  what is your favorite way to prepare a burger?  would love to know, as i am always on the hunt for the next best tasting burger! 

3 bites

there are some tried and true recipes that i can always go to and know that they will be liked.  this is one of them.  tacos.  good ole tacos.  i like to refer to them as "3 bites".  i love making these because i almost always have the majority of ingredients on hand.  the beauty of these tacos are that even if you only have 3 ingredients in your kitchen, you are still good to go.  if i make these for my clients, i go all out.  if i make them for brian and myself, well, i just hope to have some sort of protein and tortilla shells.  there is no real recipe to follow.  i start by browning the meat.  if i am using ground turkey, beef, bison, etc., i throw it into a saute pan with a little olive oil, and add whatever spices i have laying around.  i like to use chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, salt, pepper and fresh garlic.  i would say about 1 teaspoon of each per pound of meat.  while the meat is cooking, chop some onion, tomato, avocado, cilantro, corn (even use frozen if you have some), black olives, pickled jalapeno, shredded lettuce, sour cream, salsa, and whatever else you think you would want on top.  oh, and cheese.  i like monterey jack, but if i only have cheddar or provolone or mozzarella, i'll use whatever - i don't discriminate.  i also much prefer corn tortillas to flour, although i do love the whole wheat tortillas that the stores carry now.  so go and buy some tortillas and keep them in your fridge.  next time you can't come up with any dinner ideas, empty your pantry and make some tacos - veggie ones are good, too!

pork tenderloin with cranberry sauce

this was such a delicious meal.  i made a pork tenderloin with a cranberry sauce.  the cranberry sauce had fresh rosemary and red wine in it.  i served mashed sweet potatoes and roasted sugar snaps along with it.  don't you know that was a pretty plate.  for the cranberry sauce,  add 1 bag of fresh cranberries, 1 cup of cranberry juice, 1 cup of maple syrup, and 3 tablespoons of fresh orange juice to a sauce pan.  let it come to a boil and then reduce it for ten minutes.  most of the cranberries with burst, but some with stay whole.  in a separate skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat. add 1/2 of a diced onion and cook for a few minutes, then pour in 1/2 cup red wine and 3/4 cups of low sodium chicken broth. add 2 tablespoons of fresh rosemary. stir together, then add the cranberry sauce. heat mixture over medium heat and cook for two or three minutes. add more chicken broth to achieve desired consistency.  keep it warm while you cook the pork.  heat the oven to 425 degrees.  salt and pepper the pork tenderloin all over.  this is of course, after you have trimmed all the excess fat and silver skin.  on high heat, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter.  once the pan is hot, add the pork.  sear on all four sides.  2 minutes per side should do the trick.  once you have a nice golden color, pop the pan with the pork into the oven.  cook for 12-15 minutes.  i always use a thermometer now to test my meat.  i find it takes the guessing and assuming out of it.  the pork should be at an internal temperature of 155-160.  once it has gotten to this temp, take it out of the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes before you slice it.  top it with the cranberry sauce and enjoy.

lobster parpadelle

yum, yum, yum!   i made lobster bisque for a client of mine and had just a little bit of lobster left over (lucky me!).  this was one of those nights that we either had to eat out or get very creative.  my vote is to always eat in and make due.  and that's what we did.  i had some sweet potato parpadelle in my pantry, some peas in the freezer, and a few red potatoes lingering around.  i also had about a cup of the lobster bisque i had made.  starting to sound like a tasty meal, isn't it?  instead of making a sauce for the pasta, i just used the bisque as the base.  in a skillet, i added the bisque, a handful of frozen peas and a few of the lobster pieces and cooked for about 5 minutes - just for everything to warm through.  once the pasta was done, (which i had added a few diced potatoes to the boiling water) i added the lobster mixture and dinner was served!  it was fantastic.  i love those quick go to meals.  next time you think you need to go out to dinner due to lack of groceries in your house.  stop and asses.  you will be surprised what you can come up with, and how good it will be.

zucchini rolls

this is such a tasty, healthy, easy appetizer to put together.  each roll only has 20 calories.  so eat up! you could probably make these with several different types of vegetables, but i like using zucchini.  eggplant would be good, yellow squash, even bell peppers.  start by slicing the zucchini lengthwise.  discarding the outer green part.  you want to have about 1/4" slices.  spray some olive oil on both sides and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  preheat a grill pan to medium high.  once hot, add the zucchini slices and cook about 2 minutes per side.  you want to slices to be soft.  i like to lay the zucchini on a paper towel to absorb some of the juices they let off.  in a separate bowl, add 4oz. of goat cheese, about 1 tablespoon of chopped parsley, a squeeze of lemon juice, salt, and pepper.  mix together.  starting with the smallest or most unattractive side of the zucchini, put 2 spinach leaves and one basil leaf down, add 1 tablespoon of cheese.  roll it up.  that's it.  in no time flat you have a very tasty, good for you snack.  what are your go to appetizers?  what are you making for the holidays?  i have made some many appetizers lately, that i am starting to dream about them.  seriously.

still on vacation (in my mind)

hi everyone.  boy, it's been a while since i have blogged.  there have been a few reasons.  1)  i need a break.  2)  i have been ridiculously busy with work.  3)  the holidays have been insane with the amount of casseroles and pies i have made.   4)  i need a break.  5)  i just got back from a long and needed vacation in miami - i think i was so happy about not being in the kitchen for 4 days, that i just couldn't help myself!
and with that being said, i am going to take the rest of the week off and will come back to this blog next monday, charged and refreshed.  stay with me!